Nutrient Management Regulations Crop Management

1. Nutrient Management RegulationsCrop Management Dr. Chad Lee University of Kentucky Grain Crops Extension cdlee2@uky.edu www.uky.edu/Ag/GrainCrops/ http://graincrops.blogspot.com/

2. Responsibilities • Associate Extension Professor • 80% Extension, 20% Research • Help others produce corn, soybeans, and wheat efficiently and sustainably. I’m an agronomist. I help feed the world.

4. Grain Crops Extension Website • 9 primary pages • frequent updates • Over 80 total pages

5. Grain Crops Update Blog • 304 posts since Aug 2009 • About 125,000 pageviews • Viewed in countries such as U.S., France, U.K., Russia, Canada, China, Philippines, India, Poland and Germany

6. Early Bird Meetings Nov. 18 – Union County Nov. 19 – Graves County Nov. 20 – Christian County

8. Nutrient Management Regulations Overview of one watershed issue Not an exhaustive discussion on nutrient management regulations For more details on regulations, contact:

10. Floyd’s Fork Watershed • Our Team: • Reduced estimated N and P loading into the watershed from fertilizer by 99 and 95%. • Reduced N loading estimates from manure by 99.85%. • Improved perception of agriculture with other groups involved in the watershed.

11. Floyd’s Fork Watershed • Mostly in Jefferson County • Also in: • Henry, Oldham, Spencer, Shelby and Bullitt Counties • A rather small component in row crop agriculture

12. Floyd’s Fork Watershed The Problem: Private firm estimated nutrient loading from ag. Crops were receiving most of the blame for N and P in the watershed. Ag groups thought something was wrong with the numbers. Asked me to get involved.

13. Original FFW Calculations Calculated Application Rates Calculated Loading Rates, Scientific Notation Calculated Loading Rates, decimals

14. Floyd’s Fork Watershed Action: Assembled a team of scientists (Grove, Murdock, Ritchey). Identified errors in calculations (erroneous assumptions with valid numbers). Developed new calculations. Reduced N loading rates by 99%, P by 95%

15. Floyd’s Fork Watershed The Problem (part 2): The private firm estimated manure loading rates. Estimated that pastureland lost 335 lbs N/acre and cropland lost 260 lbs N/acre/year. Something was wrong… again.

16. Floyd’s Fork Watershed Action 2 was accomplished in 48 hours. • The Action (part 2): • Working with the Team; • cropland estimate for manure should be 0.3678 lbs N/acre/year • not 260 lbsN/acre/year

17. Floyd’s Fork Watershed The Impact Justifiable numbers are being used for cropland in FFW. Other groups better respect agriculture in that watershed. But, the process isn’t finished….

18. Crop Management

19. Grain Crops Extension and Research The goal: Help others produce corn, soybeans, and wheat efficiently and sustainably.

20. Extension Team

21. Research Team

22. Corn, Soybean and Wheat In Kentucky • About 3 million acres • $1.8 billion in 2012

23. 5,000-acre grain farm (corn, wheat, soybeans) About $2.8 million in variable costs A decision that costs $30/acre is $150,000 for the farming operation.

24. Fresh Start Farms, Machinery Shop; http://freshstartfarms.net/photos.html

25. Inside the harvester cab

29. Producers are more sophisticated Agronomy should be more sophisticated, also. Equipment Grain Storage Grain Marketing Employee Management Business Management Information Collection

30. Boom Times • Producers ask: “How do I increase yield?” • We ask: “How do we maximize yield?” • “Is that sustainable?” • “Is that profitable?” • “Is that the best option for the long term?”

31. Do the Fundamentals Most people think they are already doing the fundamentals. “I already know the fundamentals. Tell me something new.”

32. Soy MVPSoybean Management Verification Program “Verify the Fundamentals” • Funded by the Kentucky Soybean Board • Compared IPM and other university guidelines to “farmer practices” • Employed a coordinator /agronomist to scout fields

33. Soy MVP

34. Scout Each Field for Insects, Diseases, Weeds • IPM thresholds used to determine pest management. • University recommendations used for seeding rates, varieties, nutrients, etc.

35. Soy MVP • 4-years, 4 reports. • University system used fewer agrochemicals. • Learned something about “bottom fields”. Funded by the Kentucky Soybean Board

36. Soy MVP The extra things farmers are doing are not bringing in extra money… in most fields. • The fundamentals work. • Over the long term, • the fundamentals made money. • the fundamentals used fewer inputs. • In some fields, we need to re-evaluate the fundamentals.

37. High Yield Soybean Research • United Soybean Board • 2009-2011: 6 states • 2012-2014: 9 states • (1 of 3 states with a Ph.D. candidate) • Intensive Management • Plant Populations • Varieties

38. High Yield Soybean, USB 1.0“Extreme Beans” from Corn & Soybean Digest Averaged over 5 states and 3 years. (roughly 45 environments)

39. High Yield Soybean, USB 1.0“Extreme Beans” from Corn & Soybean Digest Averaged over 5 states and 3 years. (roughly 45 environments)

40. 5 out of 9 site-years: Hop-2009, Lex-2009, NH-2010, NH-2011, Lex-2011

41. 5 out of 9 site-years: Hop-2009, Lex-2009, NH-2010, NH-2011, Lex-2011

42. 2012 9 states Seeds/Acre

43. Key Results from High Yield Soybean • Fundamentals are necessary. • We can add a lot of management to soybeans and increase yield. We just can’t pay for them. • We need to look at plant populations further. • Things that may help: • Foliar fungicide (not in a drought) • Foliar insecticide (in a drought) • Bioforge (in a drought)

44. Narrow Row Corn

45. Row Width and Population Effect on Yield, Larue County and Lexington, KY, 2011 † p value ≤ 0.10 is considered significant Grant Mackey

46. “Current” recommendations Source: ID-139: A Comprehensive Guide to Corn Management in Kentucky

47. Plant population effect on yield: With Adequate Water 2009, Spindletop Farm 4 hybrids: DKC63-42, DKC63-45, DKC64-44 & DKC65-47 No-Tillage Loradale Silt Loam Adequate Soil Fertility

48. Corn Population Study 2013 • 15-inch rows • Plant populations • 30,000 • 40,000 • 50,000 • 60,000 • Check treatment • 30-inch rows at 40,000